Migration barrier covers for radioactive and mixed waste landfills

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:6548162

Hakonson, T E; Manies, K L; Warren, R W; Bostick, K V; Trujillo, G ^[1]; Kent, J S ^[2]; Lane, L J ^[3]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
2. Air Force Academy, CO (United States). Dept. of Biology
3. Department of Agriculture, Tucson, AZ (United States)

Migration barrier cover technology will likely serve as the remediation alternative of choice for most of DOE's radioactive and mixed waste landfills simply because human and ecological risks can be effectively managed without the use of more expensive alternatives. However, very little testing and evaluation has been done, either before or after installation, to monitor how effective they are in isolating waste or to develop data that can be used to evaluate model predictions of long term performance. Los Alamos National Laboratory has investigated the performance of a variety of landfill capping alternatives since 1981 using large field lysimeters to monitor the fate of precipitation falling on the cap surface. The objective of these studies is to provide the risk manager with a variety of field tested capping designs, of various complexities and costs, so that design alternatives can be matched to the need for hydrologic control at the site. Four different landfill cap designs, representing different complexities and costs, were constructed at Hill Air Force Base (AFB) in October and November, 1989. The designs were constructed in large lysimeters and instrumented to provide estimates of all components of water balance including precipitation, runoff (and soil erosion), infiltration, leachate production, evapotranspiration, and capillary/hydraulic barrier flow. The designs consisted of a typical soil cover to serve as a baseline, a modified EPA RCRA cover, and two versions of a Los Alamos design that contained erosion control measures, an improved vegetation cover to enhance evapotranspiration, and a capillary barrier to divert downward flow of soil water. A comprehensive summary of the Hill AFB demonstration will be available in October 1993, when the project is scheduled to terminate.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; DOD; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Department of Defense, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6548162
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-93-656; CONF-930188--1; ON: DE93008728
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540230 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CONTAINMENT
CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS
DISPERSIONS
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EROSION
EVAPORATION
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LEACHATES
LYSIMETERS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEASURING METHODS
MIXTURES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RAIN WATER
RUNOFF
SNOW
SOILS
SOLUTIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER